Archives for December 2015

A Lowndes County grand jury has indicted a women involved in a fatal car crash in April.
Yolanda Tranquille-Foster faces three counts homicide by vehicle in the first degree, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of drugs, reckless driving, speeding, failure to maintain lane, and making a false statement.
Trevor Bell died in the single-vehicle crash.
On April 12, Tranquille-Foster was reportedly at the wheel of a 2008 Honda Civic and speeding when she crashed. Bell was the passenger in the vehicle.
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Georgia Department of Driver Services Commissioner Rob Mikell says an updated version of it’s Parent Teen Driving Guide is be available online and at licensing centers statewide in January.
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Berrien, Brooks and Echols County high schools will participate in a career fair, Jan. 21 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., that will be held at the Ga. Department of Labor office, located at 221 S.Ashley St. in Valdosta.
This event is free. Brunch will be included with registration.

A Bradford woman is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past ten years from her boss at Worth W. Smith Hardware.
According to court records, thirty six year old Laurie Recny took $273,000 between Jan. 1, 2006, and Sept. 1, 2015, by making cash voids on the register, then just taking the money.
According to court records, the store owner became suspicious when a customer purchased a ton of wood pellets, a pick-up was arranged and the sale was rung up on the register, but Recny voided the purchase.
A camera was placed near the register, allegedly capturing footage of her taking $163 one day.
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A new state program that will cover up to two years of eligible student-loan costs will begin accepting applications Thursday.
The Get On Your Feet Loan Forgiveness Program will cover up to two years of monthly federal student-loan payments for state residents who graduated from a New York high school, received an undergraduate degree from a college or university located in the state and have an adjusted gross income of $50,000 or less.

Two contaminated sties in Olean are now officially clean.
The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation says The Olean Gateway project has earned a “Certificate of Completion.”
According to the DEC’s final cleanup report, crews removed almost 12,000 tons of soil contaminated by arsenic, lead, petroleum and mercury; 16.1 miles of subsurface piping; and 57 drums of petroleum products and sludge.
Both lots were covered with a 1-foot-thick layer of clean topsoil. Groundwater treatment and soil vapor extraction systems were also installed.
Cleanup of the remaining lot at the Olean Gateway site is in its final stages. They’ve been working on the cleanup since summer 2010.
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A New York postal worker is accused of dumping hundreds of Christmas cards and gifts in the trash. The New York Post is reporting that Queens postman Daniel Darby is charged with unlawfully delaying and destroying the mail.
Federal officials say he was stressed by the increase in December mail so he stuffed the mail into garbage bags and dumped them into the trash. They were discovered two days later.

Paul Brown Motors has taken over Team Chevrolet.
The sale was was completed this week but it took over a year to get it done, according to the Olean Times Herald.
Service will continue uninterrupted and unchanged at both the Chevy dealership at 2808 Route 16 in the town of Olean and the original Paul Brown network selling Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Kia vehicles headquartered at 1145 E. State St. in the city.
Former Team Chevrolet President Tom Steigerwald will retire after 20 years with the company, according to a press release. He and his wife, Sharon live in Rochester.
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This January and February, when the natural world around us is in its winter hibernation, an artist who inspires us to look at nature in a different way will have her new work on exhibit at the Olean Public Library Art Gallery.
The exhibit, “Ground Cover, New Work,” by Lindsey Glover, will open Jan. 7 with a free public reception from 6 to 8 p.m., sponsored by the Friends of the Library. The exhibit closes Feb. 25

A Wellsville man’s facing felony charges for allegedly having child pornography.
According to the New York State Police, Tristan L. Weidman, who’s 19, has been charged with two counts of promotion of an obscene sexual performance of a child and two counts of possession of an obscene sexual performance of a child.
Police also say he had videos of children performing sex acts, and say a family member claimed Weidman was viewing and downloading child porn on his computer and smartphone.
He’s been remanded to the Allegany County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
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A fire in Bingham Township, Potter County, damaged a home around midday Monday.
According to the Olean Times Herald, the fire started in the chimney.
No one was hurt.
The home was damaged by smoke and water and had some fire damage, but the home was salvageable.
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The Olean Public Library’s planning a new art exhibit in January and February, .
The exhibit, “Ground Cover, New Work,” by Lindsey Glover, will open Jan. 7 with a free public reception from 6 to 8 p.m., The exhibit closes Feb. 25

Sixty one counts of sexual assaulting a juvenile girl.
A McKean County jury;s found a Bradford man guilty of all charges.
Thirty one year old Shaun M. Howard will be sentenced March 23 and he faces a lengthy sentence.
He’s been in McKean County Jail on $1 million dollar bond since August of last year.
Forty-two of the 61 charges are felonies.
He was initially charged with 123 counts at the time of his arrest.
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The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says the business privilege tax on landlords is legal.
The decision, handed down Monday, will impact local communities.
The case had been going on since 2013.
Three landlords challenged a business privilege tax on rental properties.
A lower Court upheld a township’s ruling, but it was overturned by the state Commonwealth Court.
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Prosecutors are opposing bail for 91-year-old cable company founder John Rigas who’s seeking to get out of prison.
Federal prosecutors say they don’t dispute that he’s nearing death from cancer. They says his request doesn’t meet legal standards for bail while he fights his fraud conviction.

The old Motel DeSoto is no more.
It used to be a major player in the community but the deteriorating building’s getting knocked down.
Ellicott Development bought the property out of foreclosure for $550,000.
The old motel closed around 2009.
Within the last year part of the a roof collapsed and there was mold throughout the building.
Work to knock down the motel and clear the lot is slated for completion in the next few weeks.
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And that’s not the only building coming down.
Olean city authorities ordered an emergency demolition of a home on Wayne Street. The roof caved in and that caused the west wall to buckle making it a dangerous situation.
Nobody was living in the the two-story single family home. It was built 115-years-ago. The property is assessed at $50,500.
Olean police blocked off the stretch of Wayne Street between Fourth and Seventh streets as the house was razed. The street was reopened to traffic around 10:30 a.m.
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With Mix 101.5 local news, I’m Ron Brown….
The flu season has yet to take a toll on the area.
The Pennyslvania state department of health statistics says there’s only been three cases of the flu reported in Elk County from October to mid December.
and just one case in Cameron and McKean counties.
Less than 500 cases have been reported in the entire state.
But the state Department of Health does say that the numbers could actually be somewhat higher because most people who get the flu don’t go to the doctor.
To protect against the influenza, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a vaccine for anyone six months or older.
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Property taxes are going up in McKean County.
Houses worth $50,000 will see taxes increase by $37.50 a year.
County commissioners unanimously passed a $36.7 million spending plan and a 10-mill tax rate.
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Patients needing medical marijuana can now enroll in the New York state program. The state Health Department made it official on Wednesday.
They have to be certified by a physician.
I’m Ron Brown, Mix 101.5 local news.

With Mix 101.5 local news, I’m Ron Brown….
It’s been three weeks since a fire destroyed a home at 130 Fulton Street.
And fire investigators say they still don’t know how it started.
Olean City Fire Department Chief Robert Bell told the Olean Times that the fire doesn’t seem to suspicious.
They just don’t know for certain what caused the fire.
For now, it’ll remain an open investigation.
The house had an apartment on the lower level and and apartments in the upper levl.
The damage is estimated between $20,000 and $30,000.
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It’ll be a differnt new year for juveniles in state custody.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered that many of the 100 juvenile inmates held in state prisons be moved to new prisons next year to keep them away from older prisoners.
Cuomo ordered all 16- and 17-year-old inmates, but female and male with medium- and minimum-security classifications to be moved.
Cuomo said he thinks it’ll help reduce the recidivism rate, increase public safety and save taxpayer dollars over the long run.
I’m Ron Brown, Mix 101.5 local news.

Hahira (hay hi ruh)
From the WHLJ News Center, I’m Ron Brown.
Everyone driving into Hahira on Georgia Highway east and U.S. Highway 122 west will know what the town’s proud of.
Mayor Bruce Cain and City Council asked the Georgia Department Transportation to place a sign at the entrances of the City of Hahira, declaring the city the “Home of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Boys Ranch.”
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Before Miss Georgia, Miss America and Miss Universe there’s the Miss VHS Scholarship Pageant.
The pagent’s making a comeback in Valdosta High School.
The winner will be a well-rounded female student who embodies the best of VHS.
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Are police are warning people to be on guard against crime during the holidays.
State Farm says Georgia as the third state in the nation for theft claims in December. There were 635 theft claims filed last December, a hundred more than the monthly average.
It’s the second straight year that Georgia’s been ranked third.
Only California and Texas rank higher.
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